"Never Waste a Good Crisis"

[U.S. Secretary of State Hillary] Clinton told young Europeans at the European Parliament that global economic turmoil provided a fresh opening. “Never waste a good crisis … Don't waste it when it can have a very positive impact on climate change and energy security,” she said.

Damn you Milton Friedman!

So here's the “shock doctrine” in action. “Climate change” itself is not actually a crisis that demands immediate action. And in the absence of widespread public demand for action, climate ideologues need a crisis to shove through otherwise unpopular reforms. Of course, imposing massive new taxes (whether implicit or explicit) on energy, and therefore on economic production generally, is a terrible idea during a recession from the depths of which it will take many years to recover. But who cares about restoring the average American's standard of living? Never waste a good crisis!